More than 2,200 soldiers died within two years of leaving the service

In November of 2011 ABC News reported that Military Losing the Battle Against Suicide it stated that,

Between 2005 to 2010, a U.S. service member took his or her own life every 36 hours, according to a new report by the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).

This sounds really bad. Add into that number 18 veterans a day commit suicide and you have a new level of sadness. While the reports talk about increases in attempted suicides of active duty and veterans, the in between veterans are not counted by anyone. If they have been discharged but not enrolled in the VA, no one is counting them. Keep that in mind when you read the following.

US military suicides high even as wars wind down
The military has finally admitted to the problem, but hasn't been able to curb the deaths
Michael Moran
February 10, 2012

Even as the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan wind down, the US military remains embroiled in what seems to be a losing battle: the fight against the growing number of suicides by active duty troops, and Iraq or Afghanistan veterans.

Statistics on Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, obtained in 2011 through a Freedom of Information Act request by a San Francisco newspaper, found that more than 2,200 soldiers died within two years of leaving the service, and about half had been undergoing treatment for post-traumatic stress or other combat-induced mental disorders at the time.

Senior commanders concede that during some recent years, more American veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have died of their own hand than through contact with the enemy.

In the wake of previous wars, the stigma attached to suicides led the military to downplay the problem, particularly in the ranks of the US Army and Marine Corps, where grueling ground combat often took the heaviest psychological toll.
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